


What Happens Under The Moon

by unnnerved



Category: Tiny Meat Gang (Band)
Genre: And I really wanted to make it good, Drinking, Eventual Smut, F/M, I’ve has this idea for a while now, Some Fluff, so here you go, some violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-13
Updated: 2020-06-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:35:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24705451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unnnerved/pseuds/unnnerved
Summary: Aleena’s date goes to shit so Noel comes and saves her.
Relationships: Aleena/Noel Miller, Cody Ko/Kelsey Kreppel
Comments: 10
Kudos: 16





	What Happens Under The Moon

**Author's Note:**

> I’m back with another fic yay:) The title is inspired from the song “Under The Moon” by 070 Shake, which I’m obsessed with. Go check out the mood board my friend made for it here:
> 
> https://tinymillernko.tumblr.com/post/620844886707617792/i-wrote-another-fic-go-check-it-out-credit

Aleena sighs for the upteenth time in the span of ten minutes. She’s sitting at her desk on her lunch break, swiping through Tinder in hopes of getting at least one good match. She’s somewhat new at online dating, only having gotten into it around two months ago, but these apps are easy to use, so she got the hang of it pretty quick. 

She’s about to swipe left on the man that’s on her screen when she gets a text. 

_please tell me you’re not on Tinder during your lunch break. again._

Aleena quickly responds to the notification.

_so what if i am?_

_i can feel the desperation all the way here_

_kelsey, just because you’re my best friend doesn’t mean that you can shame me for being on tinder_

_that’s exactly why i can ;)_

Aleena rolls her eyes, a small smile pulling at her lips.

_you’re an ass_

_lol, you love me anyways. now stop wasting your time on that stupid app and come eat lunch with me_

She looks at the clock on the computer and checks to see how much time she has left on her lunch break.

_i have 30 min left before i have to get back to work, so pick a spot that’s close. i don’t wanna be an hour late like last time_

_party pooper:( fine, there’s a little cafe two blocks away. you wanna head there?_

_sure. lemme grab my stuff and i’ll meet you down in five min._

Aleena closes her laptop and grabs her bag, shutting off the light on the way out of her office. She stops at the front desk to tell the receptionist she’s going to lunch, then heads down to the lobby to meet up with Kelsey.

When her friend spots her walking out the main entrance doors, she squeals and runs to hug her. Aleena laughs and hugs her back, squeezing her tightly. 

“God, it’s been too long since we went out to have lunch together,” Kelsey pouts.

The two women start walking towards Kelsey’s jeep, Aleena getting into the passenger seat and the other in the driver’s. “I know, work has been so busy lately. We got a new client, and they’re up our ass about getting this project done. Everyone’s on edge- it’s so fucking annoying.”

Aleena exhales deeply and buckles her seatbelt in. She works at an ad agency firm, one of the best in LA, and although it comes with many perks, most of the clients are pompous assholes who think the world revolves around them. She deals with them only because she has to, but often daydreams about giving them a piece of her mind. 

“What about you though,” she turns to her friend, “how’s teaching the kids?”.

“Oh, it’s amazing. I swear, they always come up with the cutest stories to tell during circle time. Today, I had them draw about something they learned during the week, and one of the kids drew the whole solar system and gave it to me as a gift. I love them.”

“I’m glad, Kels. It makes me happy seeing you this happy.”

“Yeah, I mean it helps to work at a job that I actually like, but Cody is definitely one of the biggest reasons for my good mood recently.”

Kelsey turns into the parking lot of the cafe, putting the car into park before shutting off the engine. 

“Oh right! How’s it going with him?”

Her friend beams at her while talking. “It’s amazing. Beyond words. Our two month anniversary is on Friday, but it feels like we’ve been together for so much longer. He just gets me, you know? He’s my person- I can feel it.”

Aleena looks to the side as they walk into the building, trying to banish any thoughts of her ex as Kelsey says that.

“Oh, shit, sorry. I didn’t mean to say it like that-“

“Don’t worry Kels, it’s been two months. I’m over it,” she reassures her friend with a smile. Aleena isn’t lying, but she also isn’t telling the whole truth. Sure, she’s slowly starting to move on, but she still finds herself reminiscing over what they had from time to time, missing more of what it felt like to have a warm body beside her than him as a person. He was an ass, after all.

They take a seat near the back and talk as they scan the menu, Aleena choosing a cobb salad and Kelsey a burger with fries. When they receive their meals, Aleena’s mouth waters at the smell of her friend’s food. 

“How do you eat that much junk food but still keep a body like _that_? I eat one bad thing and it goes straight to my hips.”

Kelsey laughs. “I think it’s my high metabolism? I don’t know, I tried looking it up while I was drunk once- don’t ask me why.”

“I should start working out more, maybe then I’ll lose some weight.”

“Aleena, stop. You have a gorgeous fucking body, okay? I would kill for your curves. Plus, a lot of guys go crazy over hip dips.”

Aleena scoffs, “Sure they do.” 

Kelsey swats her arm, then changes the subject. They spend the rest of the time talking about things here and there, like how their families are doing, and Aleena lets Kelsey ramble on about Cody, because she sees how happy he makes her and that makes her happy. 

After a bit of debate they agree to split the bill, waving goodbye to the hostess as they walk out the door. The drive back to her work is short, and they tightly hug outside the car while arranging a time for them to meet up again. 

“Well I can’t Friday because of my anniversary with Cody, but we could spend Saturday together! You know, go shopping, get our nails done, whatever we want.”

Aleena smiles. “That sounds amazing! I’m in.”

Before she can say anything else, Kelsey adds, “and if we want to go party after that, Cody’s best friend is a bouncer at Nightfuel, so he can hook us up with free admission.” 

Aleena rolls her eyes as her friend continues talking. “And before you refuse, I know clubs aren’t really your thing, but it’ll do you some good to go out, have some fun for once! Maybe you can ask one of your _friends_ to meet up at the club, too,” she finishes, wiggling her eyebrows at the last part. 

Aleena shakes her head and laughs. “You really think I’m going to find a decent date by Saturday night? It’s already Wednesday.”

“So? I know you have plenty of guys hitting you up on Tinder right now.” Kelsey nods to the notification Aleena just received to prove her point. “So, I expect you to meet me and Cody at the club at 9 p.m. with a man by your side, okay?”

Before Aleena can get a word in, her friend smiles and gives her a quick peck on the cheek, and walks back to her car. “Remember, 9 p.m.! And you better have a date!” With that, she turns on the ignition and drives off.

Aleena is left at the doors of her building, laughing in disbelief at Kelsey. She can be very persuasive when she wants to be. 

She walks back up to her office, greeting the receptionist on her way in. She sits down in her chair with a sigh, preparing herself for the amount of work she still has to do. She wills herself to focus on her computer screen, but the thought of having to find a date before the weekend weighs heavy on her mind.

Aleena blows out a breath and leans back, pulling up Tinder on her phone. She realizes she could just ignore Kelsey’s request and show up alone, but she doesn’t want to third wheel her and Cody like she did last time they went out. She cringes at the memory of having to sit at the bar while the couple went off to the bathroom to do who knows what. 

Aleena already knows she’s not going to get any work done soon, so she might as well try and knock one thing off her list. She stays on the app for about ten minutes and is about to give up, but before she can turn off her phone, the man on her screen catches her attention. She scans his profile and swipes right, deeming him a good match for a fun night. 

* * *

Aleena paces her room frantically with her phone in her hand. She has 30 minutes before her Uber arrives, and she’s nowhere near ready.

“Kels, you _have_ to help me. I don’t know what to wear!”

“What about that dress you bought last week? The black low cut one?”, her friend says on the other end of the line. Aleena hears shuffling, most likely because Kelsey is running as late as she is. 

“No, it’s too fancy- and I don’t really wanna wear a dress tonight.”

She hears her friend sigh. “Okay, what about that green silk top you have? That one’s cute, and you can wear it with jeans!”

Aleena looks through her closet and finds the item Kelsey is talking about. “Kels, you’re a genius.”

“I know,” she answers smugly.

“Okay, so I’m meeting Alex at the club at around 9:50, and I told the Uber to come and get me at 9:35…”

“Oooooh, Alex. Wait, he’s not coming to get you?”

“No, we both agreed it would be better if we just met up there. Why, what’s wrong?”

Kelsey pauses for a second. “No, it’s nothing, I was just wondering.”

“Okay then… So what color should I do my eyeshadow?”

The two women talk on the phone until Aleena gets a text saying her Uber is here, and she hangs up while grabbing her purse. She takes one last look at herself in the body-length mirror she has near her front door, admiring how good she looks. 

She’s wearing her hair up in a high ponytail with wisps of hair framing her face, the green silk tank top Kelsey chose which hangs loose in the front but is very low cut in the back, black ripped skinny jeans which accentuates her curves, and black bootie heels. She has a matching black purse, in which she stuffed all of her essentials. 

With a final nod Aleena walks out of her apartment, locking the door behind her before rushing down to get into the Uber. She gives the driver the address and spends the twenty minute ride staring out the window, anxiety slowly pooling in the pit of her stomach. 

It’s not so much that she’s scared, it’s more that she’s nervous- she hasn’t been on a date in a long time, and she kind of forgot how it all works. She was with her ex for six years, and he was her first first and only boyfriend. Needless to say, everything she knows about dating, she learned from him. And if the reason why she broke up with him is any indication to his take on relationships, well she’s fucked. 

Aleena is brought back from her thoughts when the car comes to a stop, dropping her off a block from the actual location.

“Sorry, there were too many cars to get any closer,” the driver deadpans, sounding not sorry at all.

“It’s fine,” Aleena sighs, and pays him before getting out of the vehicle. She texts Alex, to let him know that she’s here but that she might be a little late because she has to walk to the club. Her text remains on _delivered_ , so she turns off her phone and starts her trek. 

It takes her ten minutes to finally get there, and when she checks her phone again, it still says that he hasn’t read the text. A voice in the back of her head is telling her that she should’ve stayed home, to turn around now, but she ignores it and calls Kelsey instead. 

When her friend finally picks up, Aleena sighs in relief. “Hey, where are you? I’m waiting in line right now.”

“Aleeeeeenaaaaaa you’re here!”, Kelsey screams. Aleena laughs at her slurred words, knowing she’s already had a few drinks. “Cody, hey Cody, say hi to Aleena!”

She hears shuffling, then a male voice speaks on the phone. “Hey Aleena, how's it going?”

“Hey Cody,” she laughs, “it’s going fine. Having a lot of fun already, are we?”

“Yeah, she’s had a few shots, so I’m trying to make her drink water right now.”

“Smart. Hey, since you guys are already inside, do I have to wait in line or..?”

“Oh shit, no, sorry, I’ll meet you out front, just give me a second.”

The line goes dead, and within thirty seconds she sees Cody come out the door holding Kelsey’s hand, searching for her. Aleena raises her hand and waves it, already walking towards her friends. “Hey guys!”

Cody turns to say something to the bouncer and the man nods, swiftly turning his attention back to whoever is talking to him in line. As Aleena approaches them, Kelsey lets go of her boyfriend’s hand and runs towards her friend, giving her a tight hug. 

“Hi Kels!”

“Aleenaaaa, I missed youuuu!”

She laughs, “Well I’m here now! Come on, let’s get you some water.”

As they get to the door, Aleena tries to get the bouncer’s attention to thank him, but he seems to focus more on what’s happening in line than anything else, so she chooses to let it go. Surely she’ll see him again before the night is over- she can thank him then. 

Twenty minutes later, while all three are sitting at the bar talking, Aleena receives a text. “You’ve got to be shitting me.”

Kelsey looks at her, “Hey, what's wrong?” 

“Alex _just_ got here. He’s 25 minutes late.”

“Yikes.”

Aleena sighs. “It’s whatever, I’ll go meet him out front. I’ll be back.”

With that she stands and walks to the door, waiting for him to show up. When she finally sees him she crosses her arms, waiting for him to reach her and hear what he has to say.

“Hey. Alana, right? Sorry I’m so late, traffic was a bitch.”

She scoffs. “Well first of all, it’s _Aleena_ , and second of all, it’s fine, but you could’ve at least sent me a text or something to let me know.”

Alex sheepishly rubs his neck and looks down, as if trying to look cute. “Yeah, my bad. You ready to go in though?”

She resists the urge to roll her eyes. “Sure, let’s go.”

Aleena starts walking ahead of him, but her body goes rigid when she feels his hand on the small of her back. She usually wouldn’t mind someone doing that, but his presence so close behind her gives her an unsettling feeling. 

Her thoughts are momentarily pushed aside when they reach Cody and Kelsey, but his hand stays on her back as they make the introductions. It only goes away when they sit down at the bar, but even then she can feel him looming behind her.

Aleena forgets about her uneasy feeling as she gets more alcohol in her system, getting more relaxed as the night goes on. About two hours later, she even suggests that they go dancing, to which Alex immediately agrees, but Cody and Kelsey choose to stay at the bar. 

The look in her date’s eyes as he watches her sobers her up a little bit, and she’s about to say that she’s changed her mind, but he’s already dragging her to the middle of the dance floor with a little more force than needed, and as soon as they make it through the sea of mingling bodies, he grabs her hips and starts grinding against her ass. Aleena is a bit taken aback, but she goes along with it, telling herself that she needs to force herself out of her comfort zone anyways. 

They dance like that until the song ends, discomfort nagging her in the back of her brain, but then Alex’s hands start moving up from her hips towards her breasts, and Aleena’s breath catches in her throat. She calmly pushes them back down to her waist, but he doesn’t seem to want to take _no_ for an answer. He brings his hands back up, and this time she pushes herself off of him. 

He looks at her startled, as if he didn’t do anything wrong, and it pisses her off. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

She scoffs and has to scream over the pounding bass of the music. “What do you mean what did you do? You were trying to feel me up in the middle of the dance floor! And even when I told you to stop, you kept on going!”

“Uh yeah, you never told me to stop.”

“Are you serious right now? What was it that you didn’t understand? Was it the time I brought your hands back down, or was it when I pushed myself off of you?”. She clenches her fists by her side, trying to keep her anger at bay. 

“That didn’t seem like a no to me, I thought you were just guiding me or something!”

“Yeah, asshole, guiding your hands away from my boobs!”

Alex opens his mouth to retaliate, but he’s stopped when another man steps between them. “Hey, listen dude, when a woman says no, it means no. Now stop harassing her and get lost.”

He scoffs. “Who the fuck are you? I’m allowed to be here if I want to.”

The other man keeps his face impassive. “I’m the bouncer. So if I tell you to leave, it means _leave._ Get out of here before I call the cops,” he says dropping his voice an octave lower, making it more threatening. 

She can hear the gruffness even though his back is to her, causing chills to erupt all over her body. There’s something about the tone of his voice that sends a thrill through her, and she almost shakes in anticipation for what’s going to happen next. His threat seems to work, because Alex blinks a couple of times before putting his casual face back on. “Whatever,” he turns to Aleena, “you’re a stuck up bitch anyways.”

She’s about to say something back, but the bouncer beats her to it. He spins Alex around by the shoulder, landing a punch directly to his cheekbone. He stumbles back a couple of steps while the man shakes his hand, but before Alex can defend himself, he grabs the collar of his shirt and whispers something into his ear before forcefully pushing him away. 

By now, a crowd has formed around them, and people part as Alex makes his way to the exit. Once he’s gone, Aleena runs a hand through her ponytail, letting out a shaky exhale. She’s about to walk back towards Cody and Kelsey, but the bouncer stops her by softly grabbing her elbow. 

“Hey, are you okay?”, he asks, his hard stare now turned soft as he looks her over. 

Aleena eyes him wearily. “Uh, yeah, I’m fine. Don’t worry about it.” She’s a bit skeptical as to why he’s being so nice to her, but she could care less about what he wants at the moment- she just wants to get out of here. 

“If you say so.” The man stands there and looks around before addressing her again. “You want to get out of here? My shift is over anyways,” he says, pointing his thumb towards the exit.

Aleena looks at the man with raised eyebrows. “Excuse me?”

“No, not like that,” he laughs, “I have to go downtown to help one of my friends out with something. You can tag along if you want. I just thought it would be a nice change of scenery, since you look like you want to be anywhere but here right now.”

She glances down at her phone- no texts or missed calls from her friends. She really shouldn’t go out with a complete stranger, even if he did just save her, but all she wants to do is be able to enjoy her night out. She hasn’t done something for herself in a long time, and if she goes back home now, she knows that all she’s going to do is sit in front of the TV and drink wine as she watches a shitty Netflix movie. The man seems nice enough, and he’s kind of cute. 

“So, you in?”

 _Fuck it._ She’ll let Kelsey know where she is later. “Sure, why not. What’s the worst that can happen, right?”

The man smiles and nods towards the exit, motioning Aleena to follow him. “Come on, my car is out front.”

As they walk in tow, he nudges her shoulder. “I’m Noel by the way.” 

“Cool name.”

“You’re not gonna give me yours?”

Aleena smirks and looks at him. “Well, I have to keep some anonymity, right? Not ready to fully trust a stranger just yet.” 

Noel chuckles, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “Fair, fair. What should I call you then?” 

She tries to think of a nickname, but stops when she catches the playful glint in his eyes. “I got it. I’m going to call you princess.”

She gapes at him while opening the door. “I will _not_ let you call me princess. What the hell gave you that idea?”

“Well I did just save your life. Kind of. You also have the looks for the part, so I’d say it’s a pretty accurate nickname,” he says smugly, blatantly checking her out at the same time. There’s something different about his gaze on her, something that doesn’t want to make her hide herself or punch him in the face- instead, it makes her insides melt and heat to rush to her cheeks. 

Aleena tries to fight her blush by narrowing her eyes at him. “Hey buddy, eyes up here. Already flirting with me, huh?”

“Not flirting, just observing.”

She laughs loudly and throws her head back, something she hasn’t done in a while. She looks up at him while wiping her eye, only to find him already staring back at her with a smile and an unreadable look on his face. She clears her throat, “So, _knight in shining armor_ , where exactly will you be taking me tonight?”

They reach the car and he opens the door for her, which earns him a playful eye roll. 

“Ah, that’s a secret.”

Aleena waits until he rounds the car and gets in the driver’s seat to answer back. “So you invite me to come with you, a complete stranger, to go and help one of your friends downtown, at midnight no less, and you won’t even tell me the address to where you’re taking me?”

“I mean, you’re in my car, aren’t you? So you must trust me.”

“Okay, smartass. Any woman in her right mind would jump out right now.”

“Well then it’s a good thing you’re not _any_ woman, right?”, he finishes with a wink, turning the car on. 

“Wow, smooth. Does that work on all the girls you bring in here?”

“Well given you’re the only _woman_ I’ve brought in here, I don’t know yet.”

She groans, fighting a small smile. “You’re insufferable, you know that?”

“Trust me, I know. But I have all night to change your mind,” he says, a smirk pulling at his lips. 

Aleena rolls her eyes and looks out the window, trying to hide her reddening face from Noel. She hates herself for blushing this hard, knowing he’s probably just messing with her, but he’s got game and she hasn’t had any decent male attention in at least six months, so she lets it slide. The car falls into a comfortable silence, and after a while, she takes her time to take in the vehicle’s details. 

After having to look for her own car back in college, it weirdly became a hobby of hers. It’s really one of her guilty pleasures, something she doesn’t tell a lot of people about, out of fear that they’ll judge her. She’s 26 now, but she’ll still geek out over a nice car when she sees one. 

Noel drives a black A4 Audi, one of the more luxurious of the brand. The exterior is deep midnight blue, and the interior is charcoal black. Aleena can’t help but run her hands over the seats and the dashboard to feel the leather, earning a curious side glance from him.

“Like what you see, princess?”

She ignores the nickname, instead continuing to admire the car. “Can’t help but appreciate a nice car when I see one.”

“Huh, didn’t know you were into cars.”

“Well, we did just meet. There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me,” she says, adding a wink at the end, the alcohol in her system making her bolder than usual.

Noel laughs and turns the car onto the highway, following the signs towards downtown LA. There aren’t that many people on the road, given that it’s almost one in the morning, so he switches to one of the middle lanes and increases his speed. 

Aleena holds onto the door at the sudden jolt and turns to look at him. His eyebrows are brought together at the top of the bridge of his nose, as if deep in thought. He has a 5 o’ clock shadow growing, and the stubble makes him look that much more attractive. Her eyes follow the strong slope of his jaw, admiring how it curves up right under his ear. His hair is perfectly gelled back, adding to the mysterious look he has going with his outfit- a black bomber jacket with a dark grey henley underneath, black ripped jeans, and a pair of vans- and she can’t help but wonder what it looks like after someone's ran their hands through it many, many times. 

Aleena pushes those thoughts away and turns her attention back to the cityscape closing in on them when Noel looks in her direction, knowing she’s been caught staring if the smug look on his face is anything to go by. 

“So, _princess_ , I have to ask. Why were you alone at the club?”

“I wasn’t alone, I went there with my friends. But then we got separated and I couldn’t find them,” she shrugs, knowing it’s not the whole truth.

“You mean Mr. Jackass dragged you away from them in hopes of eventually shoving his tongue down your throat.”

Aleena looks down at her hands. “I mean when you put it like that you make it sound like I wasn’t able to defend myself. I had it covered.”

When he doesn’t say anything back she risks a glance at him, expecting to find a mocking grin on his face, but instead finds him clenching his jaw and gripping at the wheel tightly. 

Aleena tries to change the subject in order to calm him down. She doesn’t know why, but she doesn’t like seeing him like this. That, and the fact that his sudden anger is doing things to her that she would rather ignore. 

“So, you still won’t tell me where we’re going?”

He shakes his head with a smile, seeming to relax a little bit, and Aleena continues to pull on that. 

“Not even if I guess it right?”

This time he laughs loudly, and the sound makes her chest feel warm. “Trust me, you won’t be able to guess what we’re doing.”

She cocks her right brow, accepting the challenge. “Oh yeah? Wanna bet?”

“By all means, princess, try your best.”

“Well you’re a bouncer, right? So you’re just going to your next gig,” she says, crossing her arms. 

“Nope, I’m all yours for the night.”

She rolls her eyes, choosing to ignore his comment. “Fine, then you’re bringing something to your friend.”

“Not even close.”

“You said you were helping him? So it’s probably like a car shop or something.”

He pauses for a fraction of a second, but Aleena catches it anyways. “Keep trying.”

She keeps on guessing for ten more minutes, finally giving up with a loud groan. “Fine, I give up! Just please tell me this place has a bathroom, I really have to go.”

Noel laughs and turns his blinker on, moving his car to the far right lane, going onto the exit. “Yes, it has a bathroom. We’ll be there in five minutes.”

“Thank god,” she mumbles.

She looks out the window and takes in the streets around her. People walking down the sidewalk, friends talking in groups, restaurants still open even if it’s way past normal closing time. 

“Wow, this place is really lively for so late at night.”

Noel turns his blinker on again. “Yeah, this part of town is really popular with the locals. A lot of people know each other already, so they just meet up and talk- it’s great.” Aleena notices the small smile on his face as he talks about this part of the city, as if it’s really special to him. She makes a mental note of asking him about it at a later time. 

“We’re here,” he says once they’re in the parking lot, turning off the engine. 

Aleena looks around her as she exits the car, a triumphant smile breaking out on her face when her eyes land on the neon sign flashing above them. 

“I knew it! Didn’t I say we were going to a car shop? I was right!”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Lucky guess,” he grumbles, shoving his hands in his jacket pockets. 

She nudges his arm playfully while walking towards the garage. “Just admit I was right, Noel.”

“Mhm.”

Aleena laughs at his annoyance as the door opens for them, revealing a man with long hair standing with his arms crossed. The two men greet each other with the half hug that guys usually do, and he brings them inside. 

“Noel, what’s up man. Thanks for coming.”

“Of course Spock, don’t mention it.” 

Spock turns to say something, instead raising his eyebrows when his gaze lands on Aleena. “Who’s this?”

Before Noel can answer, she holds out her hand. “I’m Aleena, a… friend of his.”

The man takes her hand and shakes it wearily. “Hey…” he turns back to Noel. “Anyways, come this way, the car’s out back.”

Aleena follows them from behind as they talk, taking the chance to look at her surroundings. The garage has a multitude of cars, ranging from old to new, some of them not even in production anymore. 

She stops when she reaches a 1950’s Mustang, running her hands along the hood of the car. It’s light grey with leather interior seats, and she’s in love with the design. It’s so simple, yet she’s immediately drawn to it. She’s always wanted to drive a Mustang, and she itches to open the door and get her hands on the wheel.

“Hey princess, you coming?”

Aleena’s head snaps back towards Noel, and she finds him waiting at the back door with a weird look on his face. 

“Yeah, coming!”

He waits for her to cross the door frame before walking beside her. “What car were you looking at over there?”

“The light grey Mustang. I don’t usually talk that much about cars, but I’ll admit, that one is fucking beautiful.”

Noel chuckles, accidentally brushing his hand against hers, and the combined sound of his laughter with the soft touch of his hand against hers causes butterflies to come alive in her chest. She tells herself to get it together, focusing back on what he’s saying. 

“Trust me, I know what you mean. That one’s probably one of my favorites in the shop. Spock got it as a gift from one of his customers, so he just lets it sit in the garage. I’ve been trying to convince him to let me run it- or any of the cars really- for a test drive, but he never lets me.”

She crosses her arms. “Interesting…” 

Noel gives her a confused look. “What do you mean ‘interesting’?” His smile grows, quickly catching on. “Are you plotting something, princess?”

Aleena raises her hands, palms facing away from her. “Ah, you’ll just have to wait and see.”

They reach Spock before Noel gets a chance to respond, and she has to suppress her laughter at the look on his face. 

“Took you long enough,” the other man mumbled. “This is the car I needed your help with. There’s something wrong with the motor and I can’t figure out what it is. The guy needs it by tomorrow.”

Noel blows out a breath and sheds his jacket, starting to talk about possible solutions to Spock’s problem, but Aleena can only focus on his broad shoulders. She finds a chair and sits on it, enjoying what’s unfolding in front of her. She tries to listen to what they’re talking about, but she favors looking at Noel work and letting her mind wander instead. 

Her eyes roam over his back, watching the muscles ripple underneath the shirt as he works the car. He isn’t the most muscular guy, but he’s definitely lean, and that’s somehow so much more attractive to her. He’s a good looking guy that’s for sure, and she wonders how many girls he’s slept with. Does he do this with all of them or is this the first time he’s brought one along with him? And if this isn’t the first time he’s brought someone, do these nights usually end up as a one night stand, or do they simply part ways when it’s over? 

She hasn’t had sex in at least six months- her ex and her spent more time fighting in the last 4 months of their relationship than actually talking- and she’s itching for some relief. Aleena wonders if Noel could be that relief she’s looking for, if he’ll go along with her sudden change in interest. She knows she looks good tonight, the hungry gaze of plenty of men at the club confirming that fact, but she can’t help but wonder if he thinks the same.

She’s brought out of her thoughts when the car’s engine roars to life, and the two guys cheer in success. Aleena takes this as her cue, so she hops off the chair and walks over to join them. 

“Holy shit, is that a 1970’s Pontiac Firebird?”

Spock looks up at Noel from the front seat, then back at Aleena. “Yeah, actually, it is. You know your shit. Are you into motorsports?”

She shrugs. “It’s more of a hobby. So, are you gonna take her out for a spin?”

“What do you mean? We already fixed it, it’s fine.”

“Sure, you fixed it, but you need to test it out for real. Like, _on_ the road.” She looks at Noel, “right Noel?”

His gaze snaps to hers and the same glint from earlier appears in his eyes, seeming to understand exactly where she’s going with this. “Yeah, man, we need to actually see if the engine actually works.”

Spock looks between then and narrows his eyes. “I don’t like this… this dynamic that’s happening right now. What are you trying to ask me?”

Aleena puts her hands in her back pockets and leans on the table beside her. “We want to drive it,” she pauses. “Well more like he does and I want to sit in the passenger seat, but either way.”

He looks between them again and shakes his head. “No. No way! This is a really important client and I can’t fuck this up. It’s too much of a risk, forget it,” he says while getting out of the car. 

This time, it’s Noel’s turn to talk. “Come on man, it’s just a drive around the block. You know I’m good to my word, I won’t let anything happen to it.”

Spock looks like he’s debating it over for a bit before sighing in defeat, causing the other two to high five. “Fine, but you go _once_ around the block. That’s it. If I see even one scratch, you’re paying for it.”

Noel quickly closes the hood of the car and grabs his jacket, clapping his friend on the back before entering the driver’s seat. “Thanks man, we’ll bring her back as good as new,” he says, then winking at Aleena.

Aleena’s smile is all teeth and no shame as she opens the passenger door, taking in the interior of the car as she sits down. She turns to Noel, “Told you I had something planned.”

He looks at her with a renewed excitement and awe in his eyes. “You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you princess?”

Aleena gasps as the engine roars to life, causing her to laugh. “Mhm. Now let’s do this.”

Noel nods and presses on the gas, easily turning onto the street. Aleena rolls down her window to enjoy the warm summer night breeze, whooping as Noel speeds up the car. She unbuckles herself, bringing her body up to sit on the ledge of the window, the top half of it hanging out the car. She whoops again, letting her adrenaline fuel her excitement further. 

Aleena sits back down in her seat when the shop comes back into view, closing her window as they roll back into the parking lot. “That was so short, it didn’t even feel like we drove around the block,” she pouts. 

Noel laughs and turns off the car. “You know what they say, time flies by when you’re having fun.”

Aleena grins as he exits the car, before feeling her phone buzz in her purse. She curses under her breath when she sees she has two voicemails from Kelsey. 

_You have two new voicemails. Beep._

“Aleeeeenaaaaa where are youuuuuu! You’ve been gone for like, an hour now. Are you still with what’s his face? I- What? Cody stop it, lemme talk to her! No, I’m not-“ 

_Beep. End of first message. Beep._

“Heyyyyyy, so you probably went home with Alex, I just wanted to tell you to be safe! Wear a condom! Have fun girlie!”

_Beep. End of final message._

Aleena blows out a breath, relieved that Kelsey isn’t freaking out over where she is. She completely forgot to let her friend know where she was going, and a wave of guilt washes over her. She has to be more thoughtful when it comes to her. Although Kelsey thinks she’s currently with Alex, she could care less about that, too wrapped up in her own head. 

She’s about to open the door when Noel appears at the window, doing it for her. “Good to know chivalry isn’t dead,” she muses as she climbs out of the car. 

He closes the door behind her. “Well, I do consider myself a gentleman, after all.”

They both laugh, and it’s only when they’re quiet again that Aleena notices their close proximity. Noel has his left arm against the car, trapping her between the door and his body. She looks up at him, only to find him already gazing back at her, his hazel eyes heavy with an emotion she can’t decipher.

Aleena spots an oil smudge on his jawline, so she brings her hand up to wipe it off. “You have a little something…” she whispers, as if talking too loud might break the moment. 

She watches as his eyes dart to and from her lips, her breath catching in her throat when he brings his right hand up to brush her wisps of hair behind her ear. Aleena finds herself inching closer to him, and the air between them is so tension-heavy that when they finally kiss, she’s not sure who initiates it. 

Their lips find each other, tentatively at first, but then she licks at the seam of his lips, and the softness from before is quickly replaced by something a lot more intense. 

Noel places one hand on Aleena’s hip and the other on the side of her face, anchoring her against him. Her arms instinctively wrap themselves around his neck while she arches her body closer to his, instantly deepening the kiss, as if that’s even possible. His hand caresses her side until they separate, both panting, and she rests her forehead against his. 

“Would you hate me if I said that I’ve wanted to do that since the moment I saw you?” he asks, voice low and rough. 

“Not really,” she laughs, “I was actually thinking the exact same thing.” 

He groans and kisses her one last time, leaving her leaning against the car door before she can reciprocate it. He turns around and winks at her as he’s walking to go see Spock, and she can’t help but giggle at his action. Aleena shakes her head and takes the tiny mirror out of her purse, stopping when she sees her reflection. Her hair is a little disheveled and her lips are bright pink from the kiss- but something else catches her attention. The look in her eye is something she hasn’t seen in months, something she didn’t think she would see again so soon- genuine happiness.

“Stop it,” she tells herself, as if that’ll have any stopping effect on her already budding feelings. This was supposed to be a one night stand type of deal, one where she didn’t have to get to know the person she was going to sleep with, where they would have a great time and mutually part ways in the morning. Aleena was fine with that at the start- he was a great distraction from the train wreck that was supposed to be her date- but now she finds herself wanting to know _everything_ about the man that made her night a thousand times better, maybe even turned it into one of the best nights of her life. 

Aleena is brought out of her thoughts when Noel calls her name, asking her to join him and Spock. She tries to ignore the flurry of butterflies that erupt in her stomach as she approaches them, but utterly fails, because the way he’s looking at her right now makes her want to kiss him senseless. 

She tries to mask her distress when she reaches them, instead bringing everyone's attention to the car. “See, Spock? Told you we’d bring her back in one piece.”

He huffs out a laugh, “Yeah, thanks. And thanks for coming over to help me, I honestly don’t think I could’ve figured it out on my own.”

Noel brings his hand to his friend’s shoulder. “It’s no problem man, really. And don’t be a stranger, okay? Just call me whenever.”

Spock nods as they half hug again, then turning to Aleena when they separate. He sticks out his hand. “It was nice meeting you… Aleena?”

She laughs, grabbing his hand and shaking it in return. “Yeah, it was nice meeting you too.”

They both wave back to Spock as they walk to the car in complete silence, hands, once again, brushing against each other oh so briefly. Aleena ignores the little jolts of electricity that run up her arm every time they touch, and checks her phone while Noel keys the ignition. She frowns when she sees the time. “Did we really spend that much time there? It’s already 3:30 a.m.”

“Huh, I guess we did,” he shrugs as the car turns on. Noel turns the car onto the road, turning to go further into the city rather than back on the highway. Before Aleena can ask where they’re going, he speaks up. “So… the princess _does_ have a name.” 

She looks at him in confusion before it clicks in her brain- when she introduced herself to Spock. It’s her turn to shrug, “Yeah, I do, so now you get to stop calling me princess,” she says, smiling. 

“Nah, the nickname suits you better.”

He laughs when he sees her gaping at him, shaking his head. “Don’t get me wrong, _Aleena_ is a beautiful name, but I like calling you princess- it’s like our own inside joke,” he finishes, never once looking back at her while talking. 

Aleena blushes at that- she can’t seem to control herself around him, damn it- and tries to banish any stray thoughts from entering her brain. She goes to change the subject by asking him where they’re going, again, before she’s stopped by her grumbling stomach. 

She freezes and her neck flushes, embarrassment quickly creeping up her spine. Noel just laughs, which is a welcome reaction to how her ex would react to her stomach noises in the past. “Sorry about that,” she nervously laughs. 

He seems to notice her reaction because he reaches his hand out to her thigh and slights rubs it, which weirdly calms her down a little bit. “Don’t worry about it, I was getting hungry too. I know just the place to go.”

Aleena nods and stares at the hand on her leg, wondering why it has such a calming effect on her. Before she can chase the feeling, Noel takes it away and places it back on the steering wheel, but not before she sees the little hand flex he does. He clears his throat, “So this diner that we’re going to is pretty well known, but since it’s almost 4 a.m. there shouldn’t be too many people there.”

“Cool,” is all she says, because she can’t get the feeling of his hand on her leg out of her mind. She really needs to calm down, she’s acting like a fifth grader with a school crush on the cute boy in the class- it’s ridiculous. 

Noel stops the car and Aleena notices that they’re already at the diner, and she smiles as she looks at the building. It’s a quaint place- she can see why people love it so much. There’s a flashing _open_ sign hanging in the window, and the 1950’s themed interior is clear. It has red, leather booths, and a chessboard style black and white floor. 

She almost moans when they enter the diner, the smell of burgers and fries wafting through the air making her mouth water. Noel brings them to the corner booth in the back, right beside the window. Aleena smiles as she sits down, observing the few people still loitering in the streets and the cars that pass by. 

Not a minute later a server comes to greet them, immediately recognizing Noel. “Hey man, what’s up! Didn’t know you were coming in today.”

“Yeah, there was a change of plans so I decided to come in. I know you missed me, too,” he muses.

The man looks at Aleena and she can see the smile he’s trying to suppress. “Don’t flatter yourself man, you know I already have a boyfriend. You missed your chance,” he winks and Noel laughs. “Since I already know what you want, what can I get for the lovely lady?”

She skims the menu with a shy smile, knowing immediately what she wants when her eyes land on it. “Can I have the chocolate chip waffle?”

The server smiles, “Of course. That’ll be right out for you guys,” he finishes as he grabs the menu, and she doesn’t miss the look he gives Noel before walking off. 

Aleena can’t help but observe the way he interacts with the people he knows, all charm and love, making the fact that he cares deeply for the people in his life very apparent. “You come here often, then?”

Noel looks away from the window to her, his eyes gleaming from the overhead light. “Yeah, I’ve been coming here after my shifts during the week for two years now, but I don’t normally work weekends- which is why he was surprised to see me.”

“You’ve been a bouncer for two years?” she asks, not able to stop herself.

“Three actually, but I found this place two years ago after a really rough night at a bar like, ten minutes away from here.”

“Oh, so you don’t just work at Nightfuel?”

“Nah, I work at different places around the city, they were just understaffed tonight so they asked me to help. And since I had nothing better to do, I said why not- although my shift kinda sucked.”

“Oh,” is all Aleena says, because for some reason there’s a small pit of disappointment pooling in her stomach. 

The server comes with their food at that moment, and Noel immediately grabs one of the fries from his plate. “Although it wasn’t all that bad,” he adds.

“Why’s that?”

He stops chewing and looks at her, a small smile hanging on his lips. “Because I met you.”

Aleena shys away from his intense gaze and places a piece of hair behind her ear, a habit she has when she doesn’t know what to do with herself. 

They start eating and talk about their jobs, Noel explaining that this is the one he’s stayed with the longest, usually quitting the other ones he’s had three months in. Aleena talks about her job in turn, ranting about all the pompous assholes she has to deal with, and recounting to him the story of one client that drove her absolutely crazy, earning her a few laughs throughout. 

The pair sit there talking for about an hour, and when they go to leave it’s already 5 a.m. They walk in silence to the car, the fact that their adventure is soon coming to a close hanging heavily in the air, but Aleena refuses to let it be the end. This has been one of the best nights of her life, and she knows she’ll regret it if she doesn’t do the one thing she’s wanted to do since she laid eyes on Noel. 

She gets in the car first and waits until he’s sitting in the driver’s seat to make her move. She somehow manages to climb over the console and straddle him gracefully, and the look of surprise that takes over his features is one she’ll forever remember. 

Noel's hands immediately grip her hips, and his eyes become hooded with lust. “I’ve wanted to do this all night,” she says breathlessly. 

“So then what’s stopping you?”

And that’s all she needs to crash her lips onto his. There are no remnants of softness that were there before, only desperate movements fueled by pure _want._

Aleena’s arms find their way around his neck, her hands going up to tug at his hair, and her hips involuntarily grind down on him. He makes a groaning sound at the back of his throat that goes straight to her core, making her want him even more. 

Noel starts kissing down her neck, and she tilts her head to give him more access. He sucks and bites at her pulse point, making her moan, so she retaliates with another movement of her hips, just like she did before. This time he grips her harder, enough to leave bruises later, stopping her mid hip roll. “Keep teasing me and you’ll regret it, princess,” he whispers lowly in her ear, causing her whole body to shiver. 

“Oh yeah? Wanna bet?” she quips back, using he hands to tug his head back and leave butterfly kisses all along his jaw and neck. He leans his head back and sighs, and she decides it’s the hottest thing she’s ever heard. 

Once she makes her way up to his ear, she nips at his earlobe before asking if he has a condom. 

He swallows thickly before breathing out, “glove compartment.”

Aleena leans back and opens it, finding a ziplock bag of them tucked away in the corner. She takes one out and holds it in front of them, then gestures down to his pants. It’s a tough squeeze but they eventually manage to get her pants off and his down to his thighs, and she can already see the tent in his underwear. 

She kisses him as she strokes him languidly over his boxers, biting at his bottom lip. Noel goes to open the condom to roll it into himself, but Aleena stops him. “Let me do it.”

He raises his eyebrows and hands her the latex, and she tries to ignore the weight of his dick in her hand as she rolls it onto him. She lifts herself up and holds right above the tip, taking a few seconds to breathe. 

“Ready whenever you are,” he whispers, and then she’s ready so she slowly sinks herself all the way down. They both still for a moment, adjusting to the feel of each other. Then she starts riding him, slowly but surely, and it’s the feel of breaths and moans, the way he tenses under her, that makes her go faster, to start chasing that feeling she hasn’t had in months. 

Noel brings his thumb to her clit and starts circling it, bringing her so much closer to her release, and her thighs are burning from the exertion, but she’s so close to that relief she’s been looking for that she doesn’t care. Aleena keeps on going until he hits that spot, the one that makes her moan his name and come tumbling off of the edge. He follows shortly after her, with a low grunt and his forehead pressed into the crook of her neck.

They both stay like that, catching their breath, and she can feel him inside her but she doesn’t care. Eventually Aleena pulls off and takes him in, face flushed and hair tousled, the gel that held it together long gone. “Huh, so that’s what it looks like.”

Noel looks at her confused. “That’s what _what_ looks like?”

“When I first saw you I wondered what your hair would look like if someone ran their hands through it over and over again, and now I know,” she says bluntly, too happy basking in her afterglow to care about it. 

He laughs and pats her thigh, indicating her to get off so he can pull his pants back up. She climbs over the console and grabs her pants from the floor, starting to put them back on.

“Not gonna lie, that was the best sex I’ve had in a minute,” he says.

Aleena wiggles her pants over her hips and moves to put her booties back on. “Well, I aim to please,” she jokes. She only now remembers that they’re still in the diner parking lot, and she thanks god for the existence of tinted windows.

Noel turns on the car once they’re dressed again, both looking at each other without saying a word. It’s 5:30 now, and she knows that neither of them want this night to end just yet. She racks her brain for something, and when she finds it, a slow smile spreads on her face. “I know what we’re going to do- give me your phone.”

He does so without question, and she feels him watching her as she types her address into google maps. She puts his phone on the dash and ties herself, prompting him to do the same. “Just follow the directions on the phone, but you’re going to have to floor it if we want to get there in time,” she informs him.

A similar expression appears on Noel’s face. “You got it, princess.” 

And with that, he speeds onto the road, taking them all the way down the highway. There’s barely anyone on the streets, so they make great time to their destination.

Once Aleena’s apartment complex comes into view, she sees his expression change slightly. “Is this where you live?”

“Yeah, but I’m not making you bring me home just yet- follow me.”

They exit the car and she brings him all the way up to the roof, then walks him toward her favorite spot. It’s a ledge that looks over the city, with a wall behind them for support. There’s enough room for it to be safe to sit on, so Aleena doesn’t hesitate to climb up and sit down. Noel looks at her skeptically, so she just rolls her eyes and pats the spot beside her to tell him to come and join her. 

He does as he’s told, climbing up carefully, and claims his space with a soft exhale. 

“This is my favorite place to come to when I need to clear my head,” she says softly, looking out to the city. The sun is just starting to rise, a mix of pink and orange dancing across the sky. “It gives me a chance to look at the world from another perspective, so I’m not always trapped in my own head.”

It’s silent for a couple minutes, but then Noel speaks up. “It’s beautiful. How did you find it?”

Aleena looks down at her hands, readying herself to tell her story to a complete stranger. Only he doesn’t feel like a stranger to her, instead a close friend that she hasn’t seen in a long time, and she’s just telling him what’s been going on since they last saw each other. 

“I came up here after I found my ex cheating on me, in our own bed.” She sees Noel gearing up to say something in the corner of her eye, but she doesn’t let him talk. 

“We had been dating for six years, but the last four months felt more like a war than anything else. We were constantly fighting, and I was tired of it. Long story short, the day I was going to end things, I came home early from work to get ready for our reservation at the restaurant I picked, and that’s when I found him. That was two months ago.”

“Wow,” is all he says.

She looks at him. “Wow?”

“Yeah. Your ex is an ass.”

She laughs, “Yeah, I know. So I was hoping tonight would be a distraction from it, but that guy was horrible.”

Noel scoffs. “He wasn’t just horrible, he was forcing you to do things you didn’t want to. That’s vile.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Fuck him.” 

A small breeze suddenly picks up, causing her to shiver, and the next thing she knows, Noel is placing his jacket around her shoulders. “Thanks,” she says with a small smile. 

It smells like him, like trees and warmth, so she snuggles deeper into it. 

“You know,” he starts, “I’d never do that to you.” He looks at her, the golden specks in his hazel eyes reflecting off the first rays of sun. He looks beautiful. 

“I know,” Aleena says, because she does know. She looks back at him and brings her gaze down to his lips, and he just looks so damn kissable right now. She inches closer to him and places her hand on his cheek, then closes the gap between them. 

It’s a soft kiss, one that lasts for a while, and when they separate to take a breath, the sun is halfway up and it’s nearing 6 a.m.

“I should probably get back to my apartment and get some sleep,” she says reluctantly. 

Noel nods and hops down first, then helps her climb down afterwards. They walk in silence until they reach her door, and it’s not until she goes for the handle that he speaks up. 

“What if we went on a real date. You and me.”

Aleena smiles and nods. “I would love that. When are you free?”

He smiles back, “How about tonight? 8 o’clock? Wear something nice.”

“You got it.” She jumps in his arms and gives him one last kiss as a last minute decision. Noel laughs and puts her down. 

“See you tonight, princess.”

She waves back before he turns around, and it’s then that she realizes she still has his jacket. “Noel, wait! Your jacket!”

He turns around and winks at her. “Keep it. You can give it to me tonight!”

Aleena smiles again, feeling the happiest she’s been in a while, and leans against the door once it’s closed behind her. “Definitely the best night ever,” she says to herself. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I truly love this plot- just meeting a stranger and spending the whole night with them on an adventure around the city. 
> 
> As for the people who are wondering about “I Need Somebody To Love Me Blue”, I’m sad to say that I’m gonna be taking it off of my profile for a bit. I’m not really happy with how it is right now, so I’ll be editing it to make it better before posting it again! So don’t worry, it’ll be back- but for now, I’m taking it off:/ Thanks for all the support, it’s really helping me push through the writer’s block. ily guys<3 
> 
> Reach me on tumblr @tinymillernko if you have any questions!


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